Las Vegas, NV -- -- July 21, 2007

At Circus Circus hotel, waiting for the server to bring him a new cup of coffee--the old one had so much cream and sugar in it you could, and these are his words, float a horseshoe in it.

He's from Montana, just like me!

Reading Tragedy at Honda, by Charles Lockwood, which is about a fleet of destroyers which, in 1923, were on their way from San Francisco to San Diego for a celebration and were passing by Devil’s Jaws, where there are sharp jutting rocks ticking out from the shore, and the captain of the lead ship, thinking he was further down the coast than he was, turned into the rocks. They lost about sixty men. The tragedy choked him up whiel he was telling me about it—he was in the Navy between 1958 and 1968.

He’s also reading a book about the early days of Australia, during the time it was a penal colony of thieves. The author, he says, had an amazimg education, as the book was written in the style of the late 1700s, even though it’s a contemporary novel. You have to, he said, go over it a couple of times to understand when you first pick it up.

His favorite books? He usually reads Westerns, authors like Louis L’Amor, and enjoys learning about Western history.

His family has always encouraged him to write a book about his life, about his fly fishing and hunting--you wonldn’t have a deep freeze to put all the deer and antelope he’s shot, he said.

He is visiting with his wife, his daughter and his daughter’s friend who are involved in a competition by the International Poetry Society (not sure if this name is correct). Last night they got a trophy and a medallion and tonight there is an awards ceremony. They have a chance in winning a $10,000 or a $5000 cash award.

They refinanced their home and as result had the extra money to come. Go Citibank! (You can see their logo on his hat if you squint.)

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Go Greyhound!

photo from beldenbrick.com

Interactive Map

Here's a link for an interactive Google map, where you can click on the push pins to see blog entries for each state.(depending on your connection speed, it takes a moment for the push pins to populate the map)

About Dogeared

The Rocky Mountains, Statue of Liberty, amber waves of grain, sprinklers on the grass, strip malls and chain stores may define our country's physical landscape, but it's the media we consume that defines who we are as people.

It's the magazines, newspapers, movies, video games, music and TV shows that fill our minds like the grade school health class motto--"you are what you eat."

While it's more likely that what comes across our iPods and TV sets defines us as a country, it's the books we read that interest me most--hand-held how-to, history, fantasy, memoir, magna comics... that go anywhere and everywhere. A substitute brain that lasts for over a hundred pages and turns the reader's mind into the author's thoughts.

In September of 2006 I began interviewing people reading books, on public transportation, in coffee shops and parks in San Francisco, where I've lived for the past five years. This project has been extremely satisfying. I have made new friends, broadened my horizons, and, when I sit down at my computer to work on my novel, I feel as though writing is a worthwhile. People love to read.

I will post on this blog during a six week period, from mid July through the end of August, and attempt to encompass a diverse sample of our country. Please write me at sonya.worthy@gmail.com if you have advice or suggestions, if I’ve made a mistake or you have something to add. Also, please comment if you have something to share with other readers. Comments are set up so that you don't need to log in or create an account--it's easy.